TENNIS; Davenport, Prepared for Own Goodbye, Extends Her Stay

By LEE JENKINS

Published: September 4, 2006

An aging and injured American tennis star prepared an emotional goodbye to the United States Open yesterday afternoon. There were standing ovations and nostalgic fist pumps and moments of quiet reflection.

But Lindsay Davenport, unlike Andre Agassi, will play another match.

Davenport started yesterday at 11 a.m., just as Agassi did. She played on the grandstand court, two courts from Agassi. And when she was deep in the third set against Katarina Srebotnik, she felt the same tug that Agassi did.

After dropping the first set and falling behind by 3-1 in the second, Davenport won seven games in a row, prompting a midmatch standing ovation. Davenport, who rarely inspires strong feelings among fans, must have felt like she was riding shotgun with Agassi.

''My sister was so excited that she got to cheer loud finally in a match,'' Davenport said.

Davenport is into the fourth round, as is Serena Williams, who won with remarkable ease last night against a quality opponent. Ana Ivanovic defeated Martina Hingis two weeks ago and upset Am?e Mauresmo at the French Open, but she could not contend with Williams's power in a 6-2, 6-4 loss.

Williams, no longer looking like a wild-card entry, is emerging as the true wild card on the women's side. She is trying to draw strength from Agassi, who proved that it was possible to drop in the rankings and rise again.

''It was motivating to know he was ranked so low and was able to come back again and win Grand Slams,'' Williams said.

Williams will face the top-seeded Mauresmo, who has appeared vulnerable. Trailing in the third set against Mara Santangelo last night, Mauresmo came back with a combination of passing shots and scissor kicks. She exhorted herself to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory, kicking up her legs as she ran around the court for changeovers.

The most significant upset among the women involved the fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova, who lost to the 27th-seeded Tatiana Golovin, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3. Less than six months ago, Golovin was crying on a court in Key Biscayne, Fla., after she tore ligaments and bruised a bone in her left ankle during a tight match with Maria Sharapova.

As Golovin writhed in pain, Sharapova practiced her serving motion and hit a ball against a padded wall near the baseline. Now, Golovin is one victory away from a potential reunion with Sharapova in the quarterfinals. Last night, Sharapova defeated Elena Likhovtseva, 6-3, 6-2.

Sharapova's next match is against Li Na, the first Chinese woman to reach the Round of 16 at the United States Open. Li topped the 2005 runner-up, Mary Pierce, in a 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 stunner last night. This counts as confirmation for Li, who at Wimbledon became the first Chinese player to make the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam singles event.

Davenport is not one to look ahead, but she is on track for a possible matchup in the quarterfinals against Justine Henin-Hardenne, seeded second. Davenport, who has reached the Open quarterfinals in each of the past nine years, said her sore arm was no longer bothering her.

Davenport rushed the net on Srebotnik's first match point yesterday, putting away a volley and setting an aggressive tone. She finished with twice as many winners as Srebotnik and twice as many unforced errors.

After her match, Davenport lay on the locker-room floor for 10 minutes, then watched Agassi on television. She can come across as battle weary, having played 13 years and sustained a handful of injuries recently. Last month, when asked about the Open, she said, ''Chances are, it's the last one.''

For a while yesterday, it appeared as if she were playing her final points, ready to go out alongside Agassi.

But there was room in New York for only one goodbye.

Photo: Lindsay Davenport lost the first set to Katarina Srebotnik and fell behind by 3-1 in the second before winning seven games in a row. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)